


Games People Play

by Prochytes



Category: Doctor Who (1963), Torchwood
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-06
Updated: 2011-06-06
Packaged: 2017-10-20 04:53:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/208942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prochytes/pseuds/Prochytes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The game is on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Games People Play

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for DW “The War Games”. Written for consci_fan_mo on LJ in 2010.

“Board Four: Bishop n+1 to A-5/D-42/E-Aleph-Null.  Reality Check, and Mate in four,” said Tosh.

 

Zoe sighed. “Oh dear. I hoped you’d miss that.”

 

“I am fatigued.” Toshiko was probably smiling, although Zoe was a little unsure. It had been a while since she had been able to drag her attention up to her opponent’s face. “But not as much as I made you believe I was.”

 

“Ah. So you do know you’ve already lost on Boards One, Three, and Five, then?”

 

“I do. And I threw Board Two. I think you’ve already guessed why I did that.”

 

“Yes. They are quitedistracting.”

 

“So I’m told.” Tosh saw the glum expression of the girl from the Rift. Her tone grew gentler. “I worked out  quickly that I’m no match for you in a fair fight. You play Strip Hyper- Chess like a monster with a googolplex of eyes. So, I took a leaf out of my boss’s book. Threw one board; _started_ with my blouse; and gave the googolplex of eyes something to look at.”

 

“Your breasts impaired my cognitive efficiency by 7%,” said Zoe sadly. “Captain Harkness is a bad man.”

 

“He is. But a bad man who encourages lateral thinking. It’s by no means the only lateral activity he encourages.”

 

Zoe continued to look despondent.

 

“Cheer up. This still beats Gwen’s movie night. And you’ve only lost a single board. With the thrashing you’re giving me on all the others, I’m the one who’s going to end up naked.”

 

“This is a tight cat-suit, Toshiko. One win was all you needed.”

 

Tosh stared. “Seriously?”

 

“I was overconfident. You’re the only person I’ve ever met who’s even come close to beating me at a mind game. At least...” Zoe’s expression clouded; her brow furrowed. Tosh eyed her warily. “...at least... I _think_ you’re the only one....”

 

Tosh cleared her throat. “Anyway. You’re procrastinating.”

 

“I suppose so,” said Zoe, over the quiet rasp of the zip.

 

“My.”  Tosh swallowed. “You.. um... just regained the edge. More than the edge, actually. The whole blade. Of every knife in the dinner service.”

 

Zoe smiled. “I’m very glad to hear it. I don’t like to lose either, you know. And trust me: it isn’t going to happen again.”

 

“Don’t be so sure.” Tosh reached out, daring, and passed a light hand over Zoe’s chest. The Rift waif sighed, and did not pull away. ”Your overconfidence is your weakness, Zoe.”

 

“Your faith in your friends is yours, Toshiko.” Zoe’s eyes were wide and dark. Her recall lived up to its billing, Tosh reflected; she had barely been paying attention during _Return of the Jedi._ “Do you really believe Captain Harkness doesn’t know what I can’t remember?”

 

The hitch in Toshiko’s breathing, the tremble in her hand, were, under the circumstances, rather obvious. This tended to confirm Zoe’s suspicions, although one enigma remained. Zoe calculated a 97% probability that a woman as intelligent as Toshiko would have worked out that Zoe had worked out that her amnesia had no obvious medical explanation. Yet a simple mapping of their conversation onto their game-play over the last few hours showed Zoe that Toshiko’s form had consistently dipped for a couple of minutes after either of them had used the word “doctor”. Very puzzling.

 

“Never mind,” said Zoe, aloud. “Shall we play another game?”

 

FINIS

 

 

 


End file.
